Golden Ice

Chapter 13

I didn't go straight to Oliver. I waited in the training room. Sure enough, he walked in while I was hurling fire at the wall.

"Hi."

I straightened and turned to face him. Demons, he was gorgeous. "Hello."

"Nice fire."

"Thanks."

He sighed. "I put Goblin in your room."

"I know. Thank you."

"Ella..."

"Sorry I was stupid." I launched an especially explosive fireball at the squishy wall mats and winced as the fabric smoldered.

"You weren't stupid," he said quietly. "I'm your One. It happens. Usually it happens both ways, but you're unusual. So am I."

I sighed. "You've never had a One?"

Oliver shook his head. I shaped another fireball and levitated it into the air before sending it hard into the wall with a flick of my wrist.

"You're getting good," Oliver commented. "Want to duel?"

"Sure."

"Ready, set...go!"

Ten fireballs came at me at once. I sent up a huge crash of water and knocked them all down before creating a large wind that knocked him over. I won almost instantly.

Oliver laughed. "You win, Ella."

I bowed. "Thank you."

Oliver got up and glanced glumly at the door. "I actually came to tell you that I won't be training you anymore."

My eyes widened. "Oliver..."

"And I want you to find a new battle partner next time." He abruptly turned away. "I'll be working with Lex."

"Oliver?"

"Yes?"

"Was Sam...Lex's One?"

Oliver stiffened. "I believe so. But she'll have a different One now. Because Sam died." He clapped his hands together. "Anything else?"

"Why are you distancing us? What good will that do?"

"It won't do me good at all," he whispered. "But I need you to be strong and find someone else. Break the unbreakable bond."

I couldn't help it. Tears filled my eyes. I couldn't stand the thought of never seeing Oliver.

"Be happy, Isabella," he whispered, kissing my forehead.

And then he was gone.

I crumpled to the floor and sobbed.

...

The next few weeks, I barely trained. I showed up to training in the morning and practiced a few battle movies with Casey and Alice, but I left long before lunch. The training room had started to populate after lunch, so I'd stopped practicing my skills in there. Instead, I went to the library and holed up in a corner, reading.

Three weeks in, I was reading City of Heavenly Fire in a chair when there was a noise. I glanced up to see Mr. Fairen and his daughter standing at the door.

"Lex, you're dismissed," was all he said to her. Lex scowled and tripped off down the hallway.

Mr. Fairen pulled over a chair. "Isabella."

"Mr. Fairen, what are you doing here?"

"First of all, call me Kyle. Everyone else does."

That felt weird. "Okay...Kyle."

"Secondly, I'm the head of this Facility. I came to see what the hell you think you're doing."

I lifted the book. "Um...reading?"

Kyle rolled his eyes. "I don't mean right this minute. I mean, you've missed a ton of training and the Facility wants you to shape up or ship out."

I'd spent three weeks without Oliver, and he wanted me to shape up? "Sir, I-"

"I know everything," he interrupted. "I know about you going after my son."

I turned red. "I'm sorry."

"The One is a dangerous thing," he sighed. "I don't agree with Oliver's decision to keep you two apart and I've ordered him to keep training you. Also, you two are official battle partners."

"Why are you doing this?" I whispered. "What's in it for Oliver?"

"Whether or not Oliver feels a certain way about you, nobody can deny that he trains and fights better around you. I don't know what it is about you, Ella, but Oliver needs you around just as much as you need him. He's been moping around for three weeks, too. Except he won't go to training. He won't come out of his room." Kyle rubbed his forehead. "Do something about that, will you?"

I stood up and placed the book on the windowsill. "Yes. I'll go now."

Those last three weeks had been hell. I hoped I'd never have to spend another day without Oliver.